Milan clubs outsold by theatre as Italian fans turn away from football

For the first time, a theatre called Il Piccolo has registered more sales of season tickets than either of the city's two football clubs, Inter and AC Milan.

A total of 25,000 tickets, granting access to all performances at the theatre over the current season, have been sold. That compares to 19,476 season tickets sold to see Milan's games at the 80,018 capacity San Siro, and an estimated 22,000 for Inter's matches.

Indeed, in the first nine home games of the season, Milan's average attendance of around 34,000 is their lowest since 1995. Alarmingly -- for the football clubs -- over a third of the season tickets to the theatre have been sold to the category of people they are most keen to win over: those under 26.

With Italian football beset by scandals, the latest of which broke on Tuesday, it appears the younger generation are turning away from the sport and preferring another sort of spectacle: one where acting is applauded and not jeered.